QuestionQUESTION: I have a new house and as such have the ability to put down whatever kind of soil I need to grow a lawn. So my question is what type and what composition should the soil be that I deliver to the house?? I am currently about 6-8 inches below grade. Second concern is I have a well so I'd like a composition that helps retain water. Third the base soil is sand as thats what was used as fill when they backfilled the foundation
ANSWER: Sand is a terrific base -- the kind people on Long Island can only dream of, because it DRAINS SO BEAUTIFULLY. You are a lucky man.
The problem with ordering Soil is that it always, always comes with a gazillion Weed Seeds. But you have no choice here. What options do they give you in your part of the world... and where exactly is that part of the world you are doing this? It would help to know so that we know what kind of Grass you are planning on. I assume you want a Lawn but correct me if I'm wrong about that.
I would like to know if you have given any consideration to use of chemicals, inasmuch as you are going to be using your well. Did I understand you correctly?
Zipcode please, or Postal Code and Country if you're foreign.
RSVP,
THE LONG ISLAND GARDENER
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Sorry, Im in Rhode Island and the lawn is a fescue/rye blend called URI number 1. I was probably sodding
Answer'URI #1' -- that stands for University of Rhode Island, and that #1 blend is part of a famous duo that made headlines 60 years ago, back when they were the 'dream blend' of Grasses that would put their Kingston turf lab on the map as one of the most respected Grass research facilities in the Northeast. #1 and #2 were state of the art blends of Rye and Fescue. The Rye won the speed test; the Fescue took the medal for low maintenance and traffic tolerance.
But the academicians who ran the lab took no legal steps to protect their work, or the products that came out of it, or even the name they coined. Eventually, it became clear that anyone could call anything URI #1 or #2. You could give the name to a pair of socks, bottled water, a computer, a hybrid Sunflower, or the seed salad you bagged and sold at the corner store. Whatever you have now, if it is not subsequent lesson-learned, patent-protected 'Improved' URI blends, you can do better ('Improved' #2 is a respectable 40 percent Creeping Red Fescue, 20 percent Ranger Perennnial Rye, 20 percent Kentucky Bluegrass and 20 percent 'Chateau' Kentucky Bluegrass). And even 'Improved' is debatable. The world of Grass has come a long way in 40 years.
Rhode Island is famous for its sand and gravel. That drains well, but as fertility goes, it's pretty worthless. Let's make sure we're talking about a bottom layer for with the right stuff. I assume the top Organic layer -- the rich Humus produced by decomposing Leaves, dead plants and animal detritus -- was removed; the Brown 'topsoil' beneath it containing Insects, Roots and Microbes is also gone.
The question I have is, What color is the subsurface ground now? Yellow-Brown to Red-Brown indicates a B Horizon where no roots have gone before. It takes its colors from LOTS of Iron Oxide, perhaps a little Manganese, Aluminum, Calcium, Titanium. It is usually well draining.
If it's Gray, you have a problem. You're almost always dealing with a BADLY compacted and poorly draining B Horizon when you have a Gray subsoil.
MOST of underground R.I. is the blessed former. But please confirm.
You may be looking at the C Horizon. Silt and what geologists refer to as 'Glacial Outwash', stratified Sand and Gravel. Without your zipcode, or at least your county, I can only guess. Refer to the Rhode Island Soil Survey for further information:
www.soilsurvey.org/
As luck would have it, you can ship in a load of topsoil -- filled as I said with Weeds -- and you will end up, eventually, with the perfect plot for beautiful Grass. Please see the Rutgers University essay, Topsoil Suitable for Landscape Use':
njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/publication.asp?pid=FS901
Here's my advice.
Fill 'er up with the local Topsoil from a respected vendor, not necessarily the most expensive but preferably one with a good amount of organic matter. Amend this with some quality Compost/Humus from Lowes or Home Depot. Mix in some fallen Autumn leaves and Grass clippings from the current plot.
Then, as quickly as you can, plant a Cover Crop:
www.uri.edu/ce/factsheets/sheets/covercrop.html
Points out URI, 'To plant a cover crop, rake the garden area smooth and remove debris or large stones. Broadcast the seed according to the rates on the chart below. Lightly rake again, and water in the cover crop with a hose set at a fine mist.'
When tilled into depleted Soil, a Cover Crop becomes a Green Manure. There's still time to sow Soil-enriching Hairy Vetch and Rye, which can endure a frigid Winter. The National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service website posts a detailed 'Overview of Cover Crops and Green Manures':
www.attra.org/attra-pub/covercrop.html
Ideally, your C:N ratio runs between 15:1 and 25:1. Hairy Vetch is 4.2 percent N. They calculate the C:N ratio is usually between 10:1 and 15:1. Add to that Rye (14:1) and Red Clover (15:1) (also valued for its long, hardpan-penetrating roots) and you have some beautiful music going on in that corner of the universe. Till it in next Spring and plant, or better yet, till in and plant another Green Manure for Summer, then till and plant your new Lawn.
Notes NSAIS, 'Certain broad-leaved plants are noted for their ability to accumulate minerals at high concentrations in their tissue...The breakdown of Green Manures in Soil influences mineral nutrient availability in another way. During decomposition of organic matter, Carbonic and other organic acids are formed as a byproduct of microbial activity. These organic acids react with insoluble mineral rocks and Phosphate precipitates, releasing Phosphates and exchangeable nutrients.'
Dr Eric Sideman, PhD, stands behind Winter Rye and Hairy Vetch as the perfect marriage for Soil improvement. Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association has posted a plan for New England gardeners, 'Green Manures are for Farmers and Gardeners', on the website:
www.mofga.org/Default.aspx?tabid=806
'Fall cover crops are planted to catch leftover nutrients and prevent them from being lost in fall and spring rains and melting snow. As the green manure decomposes in the spring, those nutrients are released to the next crop. Winter rye is the best green manure for this purpose. It catches more nutrients than any other, holds them better, and can be planted later in the fall than any other.'
Note that Winter Rye grows most vigorously the following May, just as you want to plant new Seeds (and it is hardest to kill the cover crop and till it into the Soil). It may be the best choice of action to set Autumn '09 as your Lawn establishment schedule. This gives you plenty of time to bring your Soil up to standard.
Since one of the points of adding this Green Manure is to raise the activity of Soil Microbes, you don't want to do anything like add chemical fertilizer to the Soil you are improving. Doing that will only wipe out your microbes; chemical N incorporated in your Soil will evaporate or leach through, most of it within hours and days of application. An organic fertilizer like Fish Emulsion however will rev up microbe activity and boost nutrients. Permanently.
Don't worry that your Cover Crops will overtake your Lawn. You till these in before they set Seed, along with the Weeds that came with the trucked in Topsoil.
When it's time to plant Grass Seed, you have a few choices.
At the very least, consider what those URI thinktankers plant back at the ranch. For Shade plus heavy-wear Athletic Turf, they go with a 50/50 mix of Ruby Red Fescue and Triplex Perennial Rye. For a full Sun Athletic Field, they go with 75 percent Imperial Perennial Rye, 15 percent Imperial Kentucky Bluegrass, and 10 percent Imperial Kentucky Bluegrass.
You can alternately pick up some splendid NEW Grass blends at seedland.com. I like to stick with the newest, most high tech hybrids. Tall Fescues for drought and traffic; Fine Fescues and Supina Kentucky Bleugrass for shade; Rye for speed.
Don't forget your local Birds. They eat bugs and Weed seeds. Get a birdbath, some Birdfeeders, and a few berry producing shrubs and watch the gridlock develop.
THE LONG ISLAND GARDENER
